 | |
| ITF name | Tatsuyoshi Miki |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  Japan |
| Born | (1904-02-11)11 February 1904 Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan |
| Died | 9 January 1967(1967-01-09) (aged 62) Tokyo, Japan |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 220-66 (76.9%)[1] |
| Career titles | 13[2] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | 3R (1933) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1930–1933) |
| US Open | 2R (1927) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | QF (1932, 1934) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1933) |
Tatsuyoshi 'Ryuki' Miki (三木龍喜,Miki Tatsuyoshi; 11 February 1904 – 9 January 1967) was a Japanese amateurtennis player. His main success was winning the1934 Wimbledon Championships in mixed doubles (withDorothy Round).
Ryuki Miki was born in Takamatsu. During his studies at theKobe Higher Commercial School, he played for the collegiate tennis team. There he was approached by Tomiko Ataka, daughter of owner of the trading corporation Ataka and Company. Tomiko asked Miki to be her tennis coach. Miki became an employee at Ataka and Company and at the late 1920s was sent to London. Officially his assignment was to assist the local company representative Kyutaro Izaki, but in fact he was supposed to be a companion and personal assistant toEiichi Ataka, the heir of the company and talented artist who was taking piano lessons in London, as well as his wife Michiko, another classmate of his.[3]
He played his first tournament at theJapan International Championships in 1924, where he reached his first final before losing to Tsumio Takeshi. While in London, Miki frequently played in amateur tennis tournaments. In 1929 he won his first title at theSt.George's Hill Open tournament atWeybridge,Surrey and would win that title a further two times in 1930 and 1931. In 1931 he won theSheffield and Hallamshire Championships tile. AtWimbledon Championships he played six times in a row, from 1929 to 1934, and four times (1930–1933) ascended there to the third round in singles competition. He also reached quarter-finals twice in 1932 and 1934. In 1932 he and another Japanese playerJiro Sato defeated in the third round second seeded AustraliansJack Crawford andHarry Hopman, and in 1934 Miki, pairing with South AfricanVernon Kirby eliminated in the second round Crawford andAdrian Quist who were fourth-seeded at the time.[4] But Miki's main success was achieved in mixed doubles. With the BritonDorothy Round whom he was coaching and partnering since 1931[5] Miki first reached Wimbledon quarter-finals in 1933,[6] and the next year they won the mixed doubles tournament, making Ryuki the first Japanese player in history to win a Grand Slam event. At other British tournaments, Miki was a frequent singles finalist. Among others he won tournaments including theSouth of England Championships (1930), South Croydon Hard Courts on clay,Angmering-on-Sea Open (1931, 1932),Exmouth Open tournament in (1931),Tally Ho! Open Championships inBirmingham, and theWorcestershire Championships (1931),Midland Counties Championships (1933) and Melbury (1934).
In addition to tournaments on the British soil Ryuki Miki also took part in other competitions in Europe. He played three times at theFrench Championships, reaching third round in 1933. In 1932 he played for theJapan Davis Cup team in the European zone and won all three his rubbers partnering Jiro Sato, including European semi-final tie in Italy; the Italians eventually won the match 3:2.[7] In February 1934 Tatsuyoshi Miki was appointed the non-playing captain of the Japan Davis Cup team[8] but the death of the team leader Sato left the Japanese without any chances in their first round European tie against the Australians which ended with a bitter 4:1 loss. In 1934 Ryuki Miki won his final title at theSheffield and Hallamshire Championships against New ZealanderCam Malfroy. He then retired from tennis after 1934, and died in Tokyo.
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1934 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Dorothy Round | Dorothy Shepherd-BarronBunny Austin | 3–6, 6–4, 6–0 |
